“That’s Damien, we decided to get married,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, like she was discussing going to the grocery store, or the weather. She didn’t seem like a bride to be.
“How long have you been seeing him?” Drew asked between clinched teeth. The thought of her with another man caused him physical pain, especially considering she was carrying his child in her womb. They were his family, not some other man’s.
“He’s my best friend,” she said, before really thinking about her answer. She was so used to Damien and she as friends, to think of them romantically was nearly impossible. She thought later maybe she should’ve sounded more like they were a romantic couple.
“Why are you marrying him?” he asked her calmly and because she was still not thinking properly, she answered him honestly.
“He wants to help me with the baby,” she said simply. If she would’ve looked up and seen his face, she would’ve realized her mistake in being honest.
“You want another man to raise my child?” he asked her. She finally realized there was something wrong, by the tone of his voice. She looked up at his face and what she saw took her breath away. She could understand now how he was the business man he was. He could make all men quiver at his feet with the look of pure fury in his eyes. She stared at him with wide eyes, as she wondered what to say.
“Look, we both know the week we had was a mistake. I’m not going to punish my child by trying to pretend otherwise,” she finally said.
“Tell your friend the marriage is off because the real father will be doing the right thing,” he sneered at her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Drew,” she snapped back.
“I’m the one being ridiculous? You were trying to keep my child from me. If I hadn’t shown up here, you would’ve never told me,” he said incredulously.
“I’m exhausted and I’m done with this conversation,” she said as she stood up. “Please lock the door behind you,” she finished and left the room. She climbed into bed and let the exhaustion take her away.
Chapter Four
Drew watched in amazement as Trinity walked away. He wasn’t used to being defied by anyone and he was certainly not used to someone dismissing him, like she’d just done. He heard the click of her bedroom door, before he thought to go after her.
He thought about breaking her door down and demanding they finish the conversation but she had looked exhausted and he was sure that wasn’t good for his son or daughter. He looked around the tiny apartment. There wasn’t any room for a baby. Hell he could barely move more than a couple of feet from wall to wall.
He didn’t think it was possible but her apartment was even smaller than the home he had grown up in. He’d been incredibly poor growing up but his family had taken good care of him. He was still closer than brothers were, with his two cousins. He couldn’t wait to tell them he was going to be a father.
He sunk down onto her couch, since his legs no longer wanted to support him. The more he sat there, the more it sunk in he’d have a child in four short months. He wasn’t ready for it but then again who was ever ready. He wished he had more time to prepare.
He noticed a weird looking picture on the coffee table and reached for it. He realized it was a picture of his child. He could see the full shape of the head and body. It had some weird numbers on it, which he didn’t understand. He stared for who knows how long, thinking his child already had his nose.
He looked down again and saw some paperwork. One was information about a three dimensional sonogram he was assuming was the picture in his hand. The other paper said his child was going to be a girl. His breath rushed out as he realized he was going to have a daughter.
He felt the smile spread as he looked at his daughter’s first picture. He could imagine her in his arms and spoiling her rotten. His cousin, who was more of a brother, Derek and his wife Jasmine, just had a baby girl a few months ago and she was about the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. He was head over heels in love with her. If he felt that way about his niece, he couldn’t imagine how he’d feel about his own daughter.
He decided he needed to have a walk. He was far too wound up to pace her tiny apartment. He made sure the door was securely locked and headed back down the staircase. When he stepped back outside, he saw Damien leaning against a wall. He was never one to run from a confrontation, so he approached the man, who was trying to take his place.
The two alpha males glared at one another. Drew had to respect the guy was standing up for his friend but he was messing with his woman and his child.
“I’ll be marrying her,” Drew finally spoke, in a deadly calm voice.
“I figured as much,” Damien said with a cocky smile. Drew relaxed as he realized the guy wasn’t going to try and fight for her.
“Why are you still hanging around then?” Drew asked.
“I wanted to make sure Trinity was going to be okay. She has been my best friend for a lot of years and we have always taken care of each other, which is why I offered to marry her. I don’t want her to be alone,” the man replied simply.
“I can understand that. I would’ve done the same thing,” Drew replied.
“Just know if you hurt her, you’ll have to answer to me,” Damien said, as he stood to his full height. Both men were about the same size and it was obvious Damien would try to defend her honor.
“Let’s go get a drink,” Drew said. He wanted to learn more about Damien and he wanted to know what Trinity had been up to the last five months.
“I could use a beer,” Damien replied and the men walked down the street together.
“How has she been?” Drew asked as they sat down in a sparsely crowded bar.
“She’s been sad ever since she got back from her vacation. I knew something was up but at first I just assumed she was upset over her breakup with her ex-boyfriend. Soon it was obvious there was something else going on. She didn’t tell me about the pregnancy until she could no longer hide it. She has never kept anything from me, so I was even more concerned. She wouldn’t talk about you. What the hell did you do to her?” Damien finally finished and stared at Drew with suspicion.
Drew sighed and decided he may as well tell the story to her best friend. He figured the guy could be his ally in the whole mess. When he finished Damien sat back with a slight chuckle.
“You really know how to tick her off,” Damien finally managed to say.
“Yeah thanks for that,” Drew replied sarcastically. The men were both relaxed since they had a better understanding of each other.
“Just calling it how I see it,” Damien said. Damien was surprised to find he actually liked the man. He’d been pretty stupid trying to keep things from Trinity but Damien could understand why he did it. He himself was incredibly wealthy and didn’t often let people know who he was. It just tended to change how they acted around him. He wanted the same thing Drew did, which was to be loved for who he was and not for what he had.
The two men chatted for a while, then went their separate ways. Drew jumped in his vehicle, having no idea where he was headed, until he pulled up in front of his cousin’s house. He needed to talk to someone who would understand.